Dr. Emily Falls

Dr. Falls grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and will always be a southerner at heart. She attended Emory College for her undergraduate studies and earned her doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Georgia in 2013. As a student, Dr. Falls did and internship at the BHVH and in 2016 she became a permanent part of the BHVH family. 

Dr. Peter Farrell started his veterinary career at the Burnt Hills Veterinary Hospital in June 1982 right after graduation.  Burnt Hills and Saratoga County were still very much a farming community then.  Dr. Stan Garrison had established the hospital to serve both farm animals and pets.  Active milking dairies were everywhere.  Horse farms and backyard horses were too.  It felt like a scene right out of James Herriot’s book “All Creatures Great and Small”.  Now, 37 years later, the hospital has evolved into the Capital District’s largest and finest small animal general practice.

Dr. Michael Rach received his DVM degree from Cornell University in 1982.  He feels it is an honor to be a veterinarian and remains forever grateful for this challenging and rewarding profession.

     Dr. Rach and Dr. Farrell were classmates at Cornell and have worked side by side ever since graduation.  Together they have grown the Burnt Hills Veterinary Hospital to become a center for compassionate care for the pets and families of their community.

Dr. Clement grew up on a small farm in western Massachusetts where he gained his love of animals, both large and small. After high school, he attended the University of Massachusetts/Amherst and graduated in 1984 with a Bachelors of Animal Science. Dr. Clement was accepted to the New York College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University and graduated in 1989. 

Dr. Blinn-Knapp was born in Westerly, RI and moved to the Capital District with her family as a young child. She loved animals from an early age and always knew she wanted to be a veterinarian. Dr. B-K is a graduate of the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School. She got an AAS in Equine Husbandry from SUNY Cobleskill, and then transferred to Cornell for a BS in Animal Science. She received her veterinary degree from Cornell. While at Cornell, she worked in the Reproductive Physiology Dept. for five years, and was also selected as a member of the Small Animal Crew to work in the Small Animal Clinic.

Dr. Chico received his veterinary degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1993.  He continued his education and received his Master of Public Health degree from the University at Albany in 2008 and became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine in 2010. In addition to working part time at Burnt Hills Veterinary Hospital, where he enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine, Dr. Chico also works for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets as Field Staff Supervisor and Emergency Preparedness Manager.

Matt was born and raised in Perth NY on a small hobby farm with all kinds of pets. He attended Broadalbin Perth School where he played Baseball, Basketball and Soccer. Matt continued his education at St. Lawrence University where he majored in Neuro Science and spent countless hours shadowing area veterinarians. While at SLU, Matt studied abroad in Denmark. Here he had the opportunity to experience veterinary medicine on an international level. 

Dr. Chris Elson, DVM, CVA, CVCP, graduated from the Atlantic Veterinary College in 1995.  In 2007, he sold his practice and came to work at Burnt Hills. 

He lives with thirty cats, seven dogs and one wife.  He and his wife have bred Bengal cats, because they love their energy and personality.

Dr. Godin grew up in Tupper Lake, NY. His many family pets helped to spark an interest in veterinary medicine.    Following High School Dr. Godin attended SUNY Canton enrolling in the Veterinary Technician program. He finished his undergraduate education at Cornell University with a bachelors of Animal Science.

Dr. Heidi Gordon grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. While growing up she cared for and fell in love with many family pets. She also worked at her Uncle's kennels and joined him at obedience shows with his golden retrievers. Dr. Gordon studied Environmental Science as an undergraduate at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. She then worked in the Pacific Northwest for a few years in the environmental field. Dr. Gordon also worked in a research lab at Oregon Health Sciences University that studied nerve regeneration.  Her love for animals led her to return to Georgia to purse a degree in veterinary medicine from the University of Georgia. She graduated in May, 2003.

Dr. MacNaughton grew up in Queensbury NY. After High School he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Neuro-Psychology from Princeton University.  After Princeton he began working in research at Albany Medical College in their Center for Cardiovascular Studies where he focused on complications following angioplasty surgery, and worked towards his Master's Degree in Cardiovascular Medicine.